Ouster and Sustainability
Ouster’s mission is to build a safer and more sustainable future through our high-resolution digital lidar
sensors for the automotive, industrial, smart infrastructure, and robotics industries. Today, lidar is best known
for being a critical sensor enabling autonomous vehicles. However, we believe that lidar will become a ubiquitous
sensing modality. It is the building block of a new world in which advanced infrastructure and autonomous machines
can see and understand their surroundings, improving safety and quality of life while driving efficiency,
sustainability, and resiliency.
Our goal is to execute on our long-term strategic priorities alongside an integrated and ambitious Sustainability
Program – built on the tenets of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) – that can produce growth
and profitability for employees and investors while having a positive impact on our communities and our planet.
Sustainability Program
Ouster’s Sustainability Program is predicated on the founding principle of our business – to innovate and
deliver technologies that lead to safer vehicles, transportation networks, workplaces, and infrastructure for more
sustainable communities. Applications powered by digital lidar have the potential to increase safety, improve
quality of life, and enhance equity without compromising citizens’ privacy. Our commitment to safety and
sustainability drives us to minimize negative impacts and maximize value across our business and the industries we
serve in order to contribute to a better society.
To further our goals, Ouster established a Sustainability Policy and an ESG Advisory Committee to focus our efforts
as we continue to build out, improve, track, and report on our Sustainability Program. We also commit to continuous
collaboration and improvement in accordance with industry best-practices.
Sustainability Policy
At Ouster, we are committed to providing a safe and respectful workplace for our employees and conducting business in
a socially responsible and sustainable way. We strive to accomplish this by:
- Ensuring ethical organizational governance in compliance with applicable legal requirements
- Upholding the principle of human rights and treating people fairly and with dignity within our organization and
our supply chain
- Ensuring our business practices support diversity and inclusion to further build an innovative workforce and
ensure our organization reflects our customers and suppliers
- Observing fair labor practices
- Protecting the environment
- Practicing fair and transparent operating practices
- Actively participating in the development of our communities while continuing to provide value to our
shareholders
- Developing, implementing, continually improving, and reporting on our sustainability efforts
ESG Advisory Committee
Ouster’s internal ESG Advisory Committee will promote, monitor and measure the Company’s commitment and
compliance to sustainable business practices. This committee is composed of members of executive leadership,
operations, commercial, human resources, communications, investor relations, and legal teams. Ouster’s
commitment to sustainability is grounded in continuous improvement. For that reason, Ouster’s ESG Advisory
Committee is committed to maintaining, and when possible, exceeding industry and regulatory standards.
All Sustainability Program initiatives are discussed and agreed on by the ESG Advisory Committee. All third-party and
customer-based reporting requirements will be reviewed and approved by the committee before submission. However, the
Committee’s role remains advisory, and its powers do not supersede the roles or decisions of executive
leadership or the Board. The ESG Advisory Committee will meet quarterly to discuss, review and record adherence to
this commitment.
Collaboration and Continuous Improvement
As a global benchmark, Ouster aims to align its best-practices and future reporting to the shared blueprint outlined
within the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). Ouster will also continually assess and engage with
third-party resources and the ESG community to help us evolve our Sustainability Program. Examples of these parties
include:
- The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB)
- The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
- The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) ESG Resource Center
- U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
In addition, we plan to work closely with Ouster’s Board of Directors and External Advisors to enhance our
sustainability efforts.
Approach
We believe we can accelerate value creation by answering society’s increasing demand for safer, more
sustainable solutions, which will benefit both our company, our stakeholders, and communities around the world. As
such, we aligned Ouster’s business practices – including our products, supply chain, manufacturing
operations, governance, workplaces, and employees – and the impact of our products to our own sustainability
framework.
Ouster’s sustainability framework is structured around three core pillars: Environmental and Operational
Excellence, Human Capital and Corporate Citizenship, and Product Impact. We are committed to making this framework
an integral part of our business decisions and within our risk mitigation process in order to foster a sustainable
impact over the long-term.
Environmental and Operational Excellence: We are committed to making decisions and conducting our business
in an environmentally responsible and proactive manner by minimizing our carbon footprint, conserving natural
resources, minimizing waste, and using renewable and cleaner energy sources when possible.
Human Capital and Corporate Citizenship: We are committed to upholding the principles of human rights and
fair labor practices, actively promoting a culture of diversity & inclusion, and supporting a culture of
corporate social responsibility.
Product Impact: Our commitment to sustainability is demonstrated by the inherently efficient and safety
critical nature of our digital lidar technology which can sustainably impact the automotive, industrial, smart
infrastructure, and robotics industries. Our products power applications that increase safety, improve quality of
life, and enhance equity without compromising citizens’ privacy. As part of our commitment to continuous
improvement, we will look for opportunities to increase the positive impact of our products and solutions within
these markets.
We look forward to reporting out of our efforts to advance sustainability.
